


heart speeds up, time slows down

by flamebirds



Series: multi-chapter fics [1]
Category: Green Lantern (Comics), Titans (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death Fix, F/F, Fix-It of Sorts, Intergang (DCU), Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26495773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamebirds/pseuds/flamebirds
Summary: And if Bette was the sun, in all its fiery glory, then that would make Arisia the moon ━━ beautiful and mysterious and distant, kept away from her by forces she couldn't even begin to comprehend.Pretty fitting, if you asked her.
Relationships: Bette Kane/Arisia Rrab
Series: multi-chapter fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939078
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	heart speeds up, time slows down

New York City is like a breath of fresh air into her dying lungs.

It lacks the noticeable grime of Gotham, that darkness that permeates every building, every street, every person. Stay there long enough and it'll get its claws into you, never letting go no matter how far you run. It takes and it takes, ripping away the softer, gentler aspects of a person and leaving nothing in its wake.

Bette knows that from experience. A few years in that city and she feels like barely managed to escape with her heart intact. It's scarred and battered from her experience, harsh lines running across it, chunks are torn out, but it still _beats._ Her heartbeat thrums beneath her skin and offers her one small comfort, a slice of mercy that she fought tooth and nail for. Gotham stole so much away from her, her youth, her innocence, but it never took her heart.

It damaged it, though, and New York feels like a chance for her to heal.

She's been drowning for years, slowly slipping under murky waters. It started with the death of her aunt and only spiralled down from there as more and more people she loved either died or abandoned her.

And that's only if she's _lucky._

She doesn't have those kinds of worries here. There's no place for them anymore, no room for them to fester and grow amidst the chaos that her new city brings her.

That new chaos definitely has _reasoning_ behind it. Before, she stuck to working with low-level heroes or only assisting Batman in his city. There's never anything truly _strange_ there, the majority of the threats she faced originated from the same planet as her.

The same cannot be said for New York. Thanks to the presence of the universe's final Green Lantern, aliens are a lot more commonplace, so many making a gamble for Kyle Rayner's head on a pike. She's fought more aliens in the past four months than in all her years as a hero and it's refreshing, a break from the sickness of humanity that Gotham always seems to specialize in.

Here, there's no Joker to worry about, just killer robots that have been roaming the galaxy for centuries, enraged survivors desperate for some kind of justice, mad gods doing anything for a final slice of power. It's the stuff that she could never manage on her own, but she doesn't _have_ to.

That might be her favourite thing about New York; working alone, shutting yourself off from help, isn't a _thing_ here. Between the resident Green Lantern and the local Titans team, things just get too crazy for one person to handle on their own, a little too much weight to rest upon one person's shoulders.

It's taking her some time to adjust to it all. Despite a solid history with teams, Gotham has made her more solitary than she would've liked, especially after Titans West fell apart. And New York... you don't survive here as a hero without making at least a few friends.

Which is what's lead to Bette Kane, mask still hiding her identity from everybody, sitting in a booth at Warriors, laughing over drinks with Green Lanterns. If Bruce could see her now, she thinks he might have an aneurysm. He wouldn't completely lose his mind ━━ she's kept her secret identity hidden, refused to share it.

Not that they've asked. It's... kind of nice that they don't. Maybe it's because she made mention to Batman. Maybe they'd assume she'd be as stingy about as he is. And it's not that she doesn't get the risk of giving it away, because she does, it's just, well, she's always been a little more sociable than her rodent themed cousin. She likes people, she makes friends faster, and she tends to be a little more trusting.

Still, after Duela, she's decided to be more cautious. That means no spilling her guts to the people in front of her, no matter how many strawberry daiquiris the bartender (who might be the actual Lady Blackhawk...) keeps giving her.

"On the house", she says, infectious smile making Bette grin. Or maybe that's just the alcohol. "Any friend of Guy's..."

Bette doesn't bother refusing and instead takes a tiny sip, leaning back in her seat. She could get used to this, she thinks. It's a little like the after-mission meals she used to get with Titans West, all of them squished into a small booth at a tiny diner, barely able to move without elbowing each other.

And, hey, surviving her first encounter with Grayven is definitely something to celebrate, right? Son of Darkseid and all, it's not surprising that he packs a punch. Her ribs still ache beneath the bandages, but she's got a mini pharmacy in her apartment, enough painkillers to get her through the night. She'll access things tomorrow, see if she needs a break or what.

She hopes she doesn't, though, because working with people like Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner is more than a little fun.

Guy claps her on the back, somehow managing to avoid all of her newly acquired bruises. "You did good out there, kid."

And Bette ━━ Bette _beams._ Positive reinforcement isn't exactly what she's used to and she's still _weird_ about it, but she likes it. It reminds her of Kathy and in a way that doesn't cause her heart to twist up.

"Thanks", she says. "You weren't so bad yourself."

"High praise coming from a Bat", Kyle teases. "All I usually get from the big guy is a vague nod... and I'm pretty sure it's always meant for the Flash."

She laughs. "Yeah, that sounds like him. He'll probably warm up to you eventually."

"'Cause he's become such a big fan of me", Guy snorts.

"He's just jealous of your good looks", Bette shoots back.

John Stewart laughs at that and Bette feels some kind of pride. She's not entirely sure if he doesn't like her or if he's just wary of people from Gotham. There's a little hope that it's the latter, but she's learned the hard way that people don't tend to want to be around her that long.

It's for the best, anyways. She moved to New York with the plan to _not_ get attached to anyone. After Kathy, after Don... she can't do that anymore. She can't attend another funeral and keep her heart alive.

"Can't say I'm surprised", he replies, puffing his chest out a little. "I'm fuckin' gorgeous."

Lady Blackhawk's nose crinkles and she shoots Bette a playful glare. "Way ta go on boosting his ego, blondie."

"What can I say? It's a talent."

Kyle shakes his head. "I'm gonna be honest, if Roy hadn't confirmed it, I don't know if I'd believe you worked with Batman."

"Is it because I'm so adorable?" She asks. "'Cause, like, I totally get that. B could do with making his costume a little cuter."

"Maybe adding some glitter?"

"Exactly", she agrees with a grin, far before she can catch herself. It's so easy to fall into this, relax into a mindless conversation. "How _is_ Roy? I haven't been able to catch up with him yet."

Kyle gives a non-committal shrug. "He seems pretty busy with the Titans."

"I've gotta check in with those guys", she muses.

"Weren't you a Titan?"

"Teen Titan", she corrects. "And only for, like, a little while."

"Do you miss it?" Kyle asks her.

The question catches her off guard. He's curious, but she gets the feeling that it's okay if she doesn't answer. That nobody here is gonna judge her, that nobody here ever would.

"Sometimes", she says through pursed lips. "But I think I just miss some of the people there."

She doesn't continue from there. Even admitting that feels dangerous like she's taking a massive risk, and she's supposed to be _avoiding_ that. New York is meant to be about crazy robots and mean alien gods and things that don't require her to _think._

Bette's not in the need for any new friends. She's got Roy, still milling about somewhere, and that's enough for her. It has to be. She doesn't have it in her to pick up the phone and call Hank, let alone any of the others, and everybody in Gotham is better off without her.

She's a curse. She knows this now, figured it out at about the fifth funeral she attended, and when she remembers the scars that these people have, both physical and mental, she doesn't think they should have to suffer through her presence for that long.

So she pushes herself up, declining another round. "Gotta get some sleep", she says, "especially if I wanna follow up on that Intergang lead tomorrow."

John frowns at her. "You should be taking it easy. You took a pretty bad hit back there."

She shrugs, suppressing the wince of pain that comes along with that movement. "I'll be totally fine! Just need some Advil and a good night's sleep."

"You could stay here", Guy tosses out casually. "Arisia's with some of her old modelling friends ━━ we've got a free room upstairs."

"I'm good", she says. "Thanks for the offer, though."

She gets a look in return, gone too quick for her to decipher, before she shuffles out into the streets of New York. She doesn't bother looking back, isn't convinced that she'll like what she sees, and besides, she's got some injuries that need tending to. It's nothing against any of them, but Bette prefers to give herself medical treatment when she's alone. Less chance of judgement, then, she supposes.

And so, goggles perched precariously atop her nose, she fumbles with her utility belt, fingers wrapping around her grappling hook. In some distant part of her mind, she's aware that she's in dire need of a new one, that this one doesn't have much of a life span left in it.

"You okay?" A voice asks her, sweet and warm, with an accent that Bette can't quite place.

Bette looks up to see a small, elfish girl staring back at her and ━━ okay, maybe her heart skips a beat, the entire world grinding to a complete and utter halt as she meets green eyes. Her skin is a light yellow, practically luminous in the dark, and Bette thinks she might already be halfway in love. It's like a million and one of her other crushes all over again, amplified by the addition of alcohol coursing through her veins.

Her face flushes a bright red as she realizes that the girl's repeated her question. "I'm fine", she says, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. Judging from the slight smirk she's getting in response, she doesn't think that that's working out all too well. "Just leaving."

"Well, it was nice meeting you", the girl says. "I'm Ci━━ actually, Arisia, if you're coming out of Warriors dressed like _that."_

Bette huffs out a little laugh. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you're by far the cutest superhero I've seen so far", she says. Her nose scrunches up a little as she continues. "I like your goggles. Way better than Lantern's crab mask."

"That's not exactly hard."

"Maybe not", Arisia agrees. _"Maybe_ I was just trying to find a way to say you're cute without being obvious."

"Subtly is truly your strong-suit."

Arisia's laughter sounds like bells, echoing around the air. "I guess not, miss...?"

"Flamebird", Bette answers. "New in town."

"Maybe I could show you around."

"Maybe I'd like that."

Arisia grins, leaning against the doorframe, seconds away from entering into the warmth of Warriors. "I hope I'll see you again, Flamebird."

"I hope so too", she says. "Though, if you're working with Green Lantern, it's more than likely."

"And now I finally have something to look forward to."

Bette's positive that it's the daiquiris talking, but a part of her soars at those words. It throws caution to the wind, gets caught in daydreams that centre around a girl she's known for, what, a minute? And it takes her giving her one last smile in lieu of a goodbye for to even slightly snap out of her stupor.

By the time she does, the door has swung shut, the girl disappearing into the bar and out of Bette's sight. Probably for the best, to be honest, since Bette's not entirely sure how she manages to string a coherent sentence together in her presence.

She holds the grappling hook in her hand, cheeks flushed a bright red that she can hopefully blame on something else if anybody asks.

She can grill Kyle for answers later, find out who Arisia is. She knows him, Guy mentioned that she lived in Warriors... maybe she's an old friend of the Green Lanterns. A very cute friend. A very cute, flirty friend that said she wanted to show Bette around New York.

Bette lets out a pitiful little whimper as her mind only offers up one thing: _she's totally screwed._


End file.
